Chronicles of the Sword in the Stone Book 1: Meet Hazel
by sureshot9593
Summary: Ever wonder what became of Arthur when he drew the marvelous sword? Well wonder no more as you are invited to follow the first of a series of tales relating to Arthur's beginning reign in his kingdom as he juggles gaining the respect of his people, the constant belittling by Kay and the coming knights, and a certain squirrel girl whose greatest wish will be granted. no flames plea
1. Chapter 1

In Merlin's Study:

Well, you've all finally made it to tea. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Merlin, the world's most powerful wizard, along with part time soothsayer and prognosticator but that isn't important at the moment. Please come, sit and enjoy yourselves. I'm sure the lot of you are here with the same question in mind: what truly happened after the event of Arthur pulling the sword from the stone? Don't be shy, I'm sure you're curious, and why shouldn't you be? Well, I can simply say that a lot happened, though there is more than you may expect. As a matter of fact, even I couldn't see something, or rather someone, like Hazel coming around. Who is Hazel you may ask? Well, that is where our story truly begins. Do enjoy.

Chapter 1: The Squirrel

Spring had sprung that fine day in the woods of the Forest Swarthy. The birds had finally returned after their long journey south and began to fill the thick wood with their merry songs. All of the woodland animals were coming out of their hibernation and surveyed the world with renewed vigor. The deer were out in the glen, quietly helping themselves to the fresh green turf grown tall due to the snow of the previous season. Tiny cottontail rabbits were hopping to and fro from hole to hole with joyous leaps. Even the treetops had come alive as multiple squirrels of all sizes and shapes skittered across the branches.

What could stir such an assortment of creatures together, you may ask? It was quite simple really. Spring fever had taken them in full swing, and it was now time for the youth of this generation to seek out their future mates. It was a joyous occasions, and both the males and the females were doing all their tiny minds could think of to find the mates.

However, there was one missing from the bunch. Up in a tall tree, within a knothole, one could see a tiny red squirrel. She was a fair creature with slim and petite features, and a dark red bushy tail behind her. She was incredibly appealing, and more than once this day has several young males attempted to make her theirs. Unfortunately, she would not be swayed, and they would eventually leave in defeat.

This activity never went unnoticed. From a lower branch, she was constantly observed by another red squirrel female, whom was much more corpulent than she. She watched her for several hours as the squirrels went on with their courting rituals, and she observed how the young one resisted every suitor that approached. At last, when all the newly made couples had departed for their respective trees, she approached her. When she had at last reached her knothole home, the older female could see that she wore a long face of despair, and every now and again she would sigh dejectedly.

She began to chatter at the youngling in an attempt to discover what the source of her displeasure was, but she received no reply. In truth, it was no mystery as to what had upset the young squirrel; as a matter of fact, the older one had witnessed herself what had caused it. One month before the hibernation had started, both squirrels had come to see two strange squirrels come to their forest, and both had sought to make them their mates. It had been a mirth-filled day in their lives, but it had ended badly when they realized that they had been humans all along. The older squirrel had taken it pretty well, for she possessed a great disdain and fear of humans, but the younger one apparently did not share her feelings. That day had filled her with nothing but confusion and sadness, both of which had never left her mind or her broken heart.

The older squirrel squeaked at her a minute longer in an attempt to console her, but eventually gave up and went out in search of a mate of her own. The younger squirrel remained in her tree slightly longer, her tiny mind drawing back to that day. She had seen him as she was scampering across the trees, and she had been immediately smitten. She remembered how he had touched her nose in what she had assumed was a sign of affection and how much joy it had brought her. She remembered the fun little chase they had gone through that she had viewed as one of the several acts taken in a courting ritual. She even recounted how she had taken on a hungry wolf when his tail got stuck in a fallen tree branch. It should have been perfect, but instead her actions were for naught. In the end, the boy had been a human, and she had been rendered a fool.

Her sorrow could have easily kept her in that tree for the rest of her life; however, the call of nature stirred her stomach with the need for food. With a dejected sigh, she arose, climbed to the ground, and began to search for the acorns she had buried prior to hibernation. In an attempt to remove the boy from her mind, she began to wonder on why she always gathered and buried acorns before going into hibernation? Better yet, what compelled her to go into hibernation every winter in the first place? Sure she probably couldn't survive the cold winter, but what was it that drove her? It was one of the most confusing conundrums of her life, and more she thought of it the more she realized that it had to be the same exact thing that prevented her from forgetting the boy. Ask any squirrel with a mate, and they would tell you the exact same thing: the instant they had chosen their mate, they would forever devote their lives to them.

She wanted to scream. It was this deranged desire that was giving her this grief, and she was powerless to disarm it. She cursed herself, as well as for being a squirrel. That was her real problem: she was a squirrel, an animal. Every animal must serve this urge, she figured. The urge to gather food, the urge to survive, the urge to find a mate: all of these and more were never up for debate. Why, if she were a human…

She sighed. If only that were possible. It was her greatest secret. She admired humans and how reacted to the world around them, as well as how they could decide what they wanted to do and when they were to do it. In truth, she had even gone as far as to learn how to understand them. True, her natural fear of all that were larger than herself had kept her from getting too close, but she could always find a way to get close without being seen. The only real problem she had was figuring out their speech in of itself. Though she still understood nothing of their customs and reasoning, she had at last gained enough understanding to at least listen in on their conversations. However, this did not change anything about herself. She was now and forever doomed to be nothing more than a squirrel, and she would never be able to know the human boy she had met.

Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping drew her attention back to the world. She whirled around to see none other than the scraggly wolf from the end of last spring. He leered down on her with a ravenous gaze, drool oozing from his long jaws. For a long throbbing moment, the two stood there in dead silence. Then, with predatory strength, the wolf lunged in an attempt to trap her beneath his enormous paws. The urge taking control in full force, the young squirrel fled just as the wolf landed. Unwillingly to surrender his meal, the wolf made chase, snapping at her tail every time he got remotely close. The squirrel's urge caused her to zig-zag across the forest floor, but the wolf was still following close behind. Finally, she could see a stream coming into view. Her urge suddenly caused her to come to a complete stop at the river's edge; the wolf wasn't so lucky. Before he completely realized his error, the wolf fell into the cold river only to resurface seconds later and futilely try to dog-paddle back to the shore. In no time at all, he vanished from sight.

The squirrel panted heavily, greatly relieved that the chase was over. However, this was short lived when she realized that she was now in an area of the forest she was unfamiliar with. Panic slowly starting to take in, she raced up a tree in an attempt to get her bearings. She peered over the tree tops but saw no sign of her beloved tree or anything she found familiar. Then, as her panic was beginning take over her thoughts, she caught sight of an odd sight. A large, stone structure stood erected in the middle of a clearing, and a large pool of water surrounded it on all sides. The only way inside she could see was a large wooden plank that had long chains fastened on adjacent sides, and she could see two figures, one short and fat and the other tall and skinny, standing next to a horse drawn cart. The two seemed to be arguing about something, though she couldn't distinguish what it was due to the distance. Then, to the squirrel's total amazement, there appeared a third figure. His features from the neck down were indefinable due to a long blue cloak he wore around his person. Atop of his head was a matching blue hat that pointed outward to the sky, and she was certain she saw an owl perched on the point. He also had a long, snow white beard that stretched all the way down to the middle of his chest. Why, unless she was dreadfully mistaken, this was none other than the old man that had travelled with the boy. It had to be.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The squirrel was quick on her paws, and anything that was bolted to the tree was sent sailing to the ground. In no time at all, she had reached a tiny spruce tree just at the edge of the clearing surrounding the large stone structure. From there, she could see the large set human and the tall lanky one seeming to be in a heated argument.

"I don't want to be one of the Wart's knights." the tall one griped. He was a rough looking fellow with an unruly mop of red hair adorning his scalp, slouched back, humped up shoulders, a sloping forehead, and, overall, just a lazy aura.

"Come off it, Kay." the fat man replied. He was a much more comely fellow. Aside from his portly exterior, he carried himself with a noble air with his head held high and his chest puffed out. Underneath his hat, she could see a head of red hair, and he had a bushy mustache, one that put her own tail to shame, to match. Judging from his similar features and demanding tone, she deduced that he was the lanky one's father.

"But dad…"

"Enough!" the father snapped. He sighed. "This hasn't been easy on any of us, but how could we 'ave expected that War… I mean…Arthur was King Uther's son. Had I of known…maybe…Oh, the devil take it! Just consider yourself lucky that he is making you a member of his court, then go in to gather your things. It will be a long journey back to London."

The lanky one, Kay, grumbled some more, but reluctantly walked away and vanished into the structure. The father merely sighed, wiping his face with a handkerchief he had in chest pocket. The older man, the only one that the squirrel recognized, placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Now, now, Sir Ector." he said calmly, patting his shoulder lightly. "Give the lad some time. I'm sure that once he sees how great of a man that Arthur will become, he will be absolutely honored to be his knight."

The father, Sir Ector, looked up at the older man and smiled.

"Thank you, Marvin." he said. "I really hope you're right. For Arthur's sake, at least."

As Sir Ector walked off, Merlin called after him saying, "Be of good cheer, it will turn out alright…and my name is MER-lin!"

The squirrel, now certain that the other two humans were gone, began to climb down the tree in an attempt to get the elder human's attention. However, she stopped short at the sound of an unseen person's voice.

"Hut tut tut!" the voice grumbled harshly. "Pinfeathers to the lot of them! I don't see why the Wart even considered letting those two to stay with us back at the castle. Why, were I in his position, I would have personally had them kicked off the grounds and into that harsh snow storm a couple of months ago."

"Oh, come, come, Archimedes." Merlin chided, poking at the owl on his hat with his cane. "They are, after all, the only real family he has ever known. Why wouldn't he allow them acceptance into his home. I think it was very noble of Arthur."

The squirrel placed a paw against her muzzle. She now remembered that the owl had the ability to speak like humans; a feat she hoped that he would be willing to teach her. She looked up to see that the two were walking into the structure. With a squeak of surprise, she hurried after the two will all haste. No sooner had she made it inside that she immediately lost sight of them. Grunting in disgust, she decided that her only chance was to search the place in the hopes that she would find them before they left. If she couldn't, then there would never see the boy again.

Her search brought her to a room with a large wooden table in the center of the floor. The faint smell of burnt meat reached her nostrils, and she couldn't help but wretch. Though there were many things she liked about humans, their desire to eat cooked meat was never one that she was never too enthused over. How could humans even stand it? She would never dream of eating another animal. It was just barbaric.

It was then that she felt the hot, rancid breathe steaming up the back of her neck. Ever so slowly, she turned and came face to face with two snarling dogs. Though much more docile than the wolves of the forest, these canines were still more than willing to eat a small squirrel that had been foolish enough to enter their domain. Not needing to be told twice by her urge as she quickly made a break for the table, both dogs barking at the top of their lungs as they gave chase. All three animals loped onto the table, the dog's claws scraping the wood. Through the terror induced haze in her mind, the squirrel could see the heads of animals mounted along a wall. Though she would normally be repulsed at this sight, her urge informed her that they would be perfect vantage points too high for her pursuers to reach her. She leapt off the table with the dogs still in hot pursuit, and immediately began to scale the wall as best as she could. She huffed and puffed but didn't stop until she had reached the boar's head, where she collapsed with exhaustion. As she looked over the boar's snout, she could see the dogs that were barking furiously at her and leaping as high as they could to catch her; they couldn't reach her. There came the sound of angry voices, and the squirrel looked up to see the two humans from before storm into the room.

"Tiger! Talbot!" the older man snapped, grabbing the two canines by their collars. "What the devil has gotten into you?"

The Kay merely huffed, silently munching on a turkey leg he had found in the kitchen.

"Stupid dogs ain't ever been good for much." he mumbled through bites. "Don't know why you keep them around."

The elder man glared at the boy. "I've gotten more use out of them today than I have of you. Now drop that blasted thing and help me load up the dogs!"

It took some effort, what with Kay taking his time, but the two finally got enough of a grip on the dogs and finally carted them away. After several long minutes, which to her felt like hours, the squirrel finally decided that it would be safe to return to her search for the white bearded man. Bounding off from her vantage point, she made a mad dash out of the room and in the opposite direction of the humans and dogs. When she found herself back in the main hall, she decided now would be a good time to fall back on her sense of smell rather than sight. She focused hard on each scent that filled her nostrils, trying her best to filter out all scents till she found the right one. She immediately recognized the smell of owl feathers, and she was hot on their trail.

Her senses led her to a stairwell leading up and into open air, where she found herself on the ramparts of the castle. She was thankful to be out again, and even more thankful that the scent was even stronger. She was standing downwind of it, and she looked upwind to see a large tower that look almost nearly ready to topple over. It took a little work to resist her urge to run in the opposite direction, and at last she had made it to the door leading inside. Fortune smiling upon her, the doorway was open, and a neat little trail of owl feathers only confirmed her original beliefs.

On silent paws, she crept up the stairs. When she had reached the summit, she found the door opened only slightly a crack with a beam of light casting from inside. She placed her nose into the door, only able to push it open just enough that she could squeeze through, and was greeted by an awe inspiring sight. As far as the eye could see, there were mountains upon mountains of books; either stacked on the tables or piled onto the floor. Something that also caught her attention were the strange wooden objects suspended to the sealing via chords. They all possessed wings and seemed as though they were meant for flight, though she couldn't understand how; wings that stiff surely couldn't flap like that of bird wings.

Seeing a nearby table leg, she immediately scurried over to it and scaled it to get a better look. Now on the table's surface, the squirrel had an absolutely unobscured view of the room. Though mostly books and those strange winged things hanging from the ceiling, she could see several other objects that she couldn't recognize. There was a large green and blue fall suspended in some sort of wooden cage that would still allow it to spin freely. On another table, there was a small wooden object with four wheels and a spout on one end. There was also a long tube pointing out the window and looking to the sky. All these sights and more filled her vision, so much to the point that she began to grow dizzy and backed into something that fell over with a clank. Whirling around, she saw a blue, hourglass shaped item that was slightly smaller than she was. It was most likely a container of some sort, for a strange white powdery substance had spilled out when it had fallen over. She sniffed it cautiously and was greeted by a sweet scent. She circled around, stuck out a paw, gathered a scoopful, and sampled a taste. Her eyes grew wide at the deliciously sweet taste, and she immediately devoured the remainder in her paw.

She made a move to gather more but stopped short when the container thing stood up. Though it possessed no eyes, it looked to the squirrel, the spilled powder, and back again. It hopped for a moment as though in anger, placed its small blue cap back on, then picked up a strange metal stick and began to swing it at her. She began to back away to avoid the weapon, but bumped her back into a stack of books and sent them flopping onto the floor. There came a loud banging noise, followed by a cry of pain as Merlin rose from beneath a table on the opposite end of the room. He had ducked his head under there in order to gather up his travel bag, and the sudden commotion had caused him to bang his head against the bottom of the table.

"Hang it all!" the old man snarled, rubbing his head. "What was that?"

The container thing immediately dashed away into hiding, though the squirrel had remained stationary and unsure as to what she should do. Though she had been thoroughly intent on finding the man, she hadn't thought about what she would do when she found him. It wasn't like she could talk to him, and she hadn't even considered the possibility that he might possibly eat her; that other human from before seemed like he would have. Her urge giving the command, she turned to flee but was stopped by bumping into a wall of feathers. She looked up to see the owl that had been perched up on the man's hat from before.

"Wot! Wot!" he exclaimed, puffing out his chest. "What have we here?"

Frightened beyond belief, hazel turned tail to run again, but she was stopped again at the sight of Merlin's face appearing over the edge of the table. Her only means of escape cut off on both sides, she hid her head under her paws and shook fearfully.

"Now, now, little one." Merlin said soothingly, patting her gently with the end of his index finger. "No need to be shy. I mean you know harm."

The squirrel removed one paw from her face, and, after seeing the kind face on the elderly man, she finally stood to full attention. Merlin smiled, then shifted his gaze to the fallen stack of books.

"Quite the clumsy one, aren't we?" he chuckled. "Now where did you come from?"

"Knowing how unkempt this castle is," the owl snorted. "She and I don't know how many more animals may have made a nest out of this place."

"Oh, come, come, Archimedes." Merlin chided, pushing the owl back with his stick. "There's no need to be rude in front of our little guest."

However, Merlin did feel a strange scratch at the back of his mind. He looked at the squirrel more closely and squinting his eyes to ensure he could see her perfectly.

"By, George! Archimedes, have my eyes finally given out on me, or is this not the same squirrel from back at the end of last summer? The one that had been chasing Arthur throughout the tree tops?"

Archimedes, intrigued by the old man's statement, took a closer look at the new arrival; his face became a mask of absolute surprise and amazement.

"My goodness, I do believe your right. Huh, I would recognize this red head even if I was blindfolded." He turned his back to and flew up to his perch suspended to the ceiling. "Course, it isn't difficult to remember a half crazed squirrel that has her fun running over poor old owls."

Merlin chuckled at the comment, and then looked to the squirrel once more. "Don't worry about him. He's just a little cranky this morning. Now, what brings you here this fine day?"

The squirrel began to attempt communication, but cut herself short when she remembered that humans didn't understand squirrel speech. Merlin, seeing her mounting irritation, began to get the picture.

"Permit me to guess. You wish to see the boy again, don't you?"

The squirrel immediately, and rather vigorously, began to bob her head up and down.

Merlin burst with uncontrolled laughter. "I figured as much. I must say, you're a rather intelligent creature to understand humans and be able to respond."

Just then, a thought came to Merlin's head; an idea that he had had several years ago.

"Say, lass, I think I have an idea that would be mutually beneficial to the both of us. What if I told you that I could turn you into a true human?"

The squirrel's heart skipped several beats. Human, he could…would actually make her one. That seemed impossible, but, considering all that she had seen that he had done the same both to himself and the boy, who was she to doubt him. She began to bob her head up and down again, putting much more enthusiasm into the motion.

Merlin chuckled at this, and then grew serious. "Now, here's the deal, lass. I will make you human, but only if you will follow three specific rules: one, you must be educated in the ways of man from their customs to their speech. Second, you mustn't at any time, once you learn to speak properly, reveal your origins, for it will only lead to great trouble for both myself and you. Thirdly, and foremost, when you are reunited with Arthur, you will NOT, under any circumstances, pull any stunts like you had when you met him back at the forest. The poor lad has been having enough trouble as it is. Are we at an agreement?"

The young squirrel was now nodding her head so fiercely, that she even fell over and hit her chin against the table's surface. This brought about another round of chortles from Merlin.

"I can see fear holds nothing over you about this." he chuckled. "Now then, are you ready?"

"She most certainly is not!"

The two of them looked up to see Archimedes flying down from his perch, fluttering his tiny wings rapidly for more speed. He landed on the table in between Merlin and the squirrel; he was shooting a hot glare at the prior.

"Merlin, I know what you're up to, and I won't allow you to go through with it."

"Oh, come off it, Archimedes." Merlin scoffed, tapping the owl gently with his stick. "There's no need to get so worked up."

"There's plenty of need." Archimedes retorted. "When it was you and the boy changing into animals, you were using it for educational purposes. To do something of this caliber permanently, why, it would go completely against nature."

Merlin tossed him a sideways, cocky glance. "Oh? And is it not against nature for an owl to speak in the language of man? I've never heard you complain about such." Archimedes puffed out his chest, but made no reply.

"Besides," the wizard continued. "This actually is for educational purposes. I have already seen how humans respond to the lives of animals, and now I have the chance to test how an animal will respond to the life of a human. Aside from that, just look at her. This is what she wants."

Archimedes swiveled his head back to the squirrel, and he was surprised to see that she had a beggar's face; his mouth was drooped into a frown, her eyes had grown wide and wet with possible tears, and even her ears were pinned backwards. Little by little, the owl's resistance began to crumble, and he even found himself feeling sympathetic for the pitiful creature. At last, with one final huff, he said, "Do whatever you please. However, when all falls apart, don't bother asking me for help." He flew back up to his perch, silently muttered, "Stark raving mad, the lot of them."

When the owl was out of earshot, Merlin readdressed the squirrel. "Don't mind him. He stays out late at night, and he can be quite grumpy during the day. Now, once again, are you ready? Here we go!"

The wizard clenched his eyes tightly shut, tapped the squirrel twice with his stick, and then chanted, "_Puellam…verto…in homine!"_

He tapped her in the head once more, and suddenly the world around her began to spin like a twister. She began to spin faster and faster as multiple colors exploded in front of her vision, and she soon felt her entire body grow numb. After what felt like hours, though merely a few seconds, her world collapsed into darkness, just moments before she heard Merlin say, "By, George! I've done it!"

**#SURESHOT9593: AND, LO, I FINALLY GOT IT DONE. QUICK DISCLAIMER: DISNEY OWNS ALL BUT HAZEL'S HUMAN FORM, WHICH WILL BE REVEALED IN NEXT CHAPTER, AND THAT BELONGS TO WHOEVER CAME UP WITH IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. STORY IS MINE THOUGH. I WOULD ASLO LIKE TO SEND A SHOUT OUT TO MARIODS01. THANKS FOR THE LIKE AND THE IDEAS. THEY'RE GONNA COME IN HANDY LATER ON. NEXT CHAPTER WILL COME AROUND WHEN I GET TO IT. TILL THEN, WRITE ON!#**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The start of a new life.  
Her head was still whirling when the squirrel came to. That had been a very strange experience, and it was far more than she had expected. She shook her head feverishly to further rouse herself, when she suddenly felt something swish over her face with each shake of her head. Her eyes bolted open, and all she could see was a curtain of bright red. She moved her hands to her face and parted away the curtain, and her joy overflowed. It was hair, human hair! It was long, reaching all the way to the middle of her back when it was behind her.  
But this was only the beginning of what could be-what was-the greatest surprise of her life. Her hands were also those of a human: furless, pink skin with five digits. She opened and closed them into fists, marveling at her new appendages. Her gaze then went down to her body in general. As could be expected, she was surprised to see that her body was clothed. It was a simple dress, even she could see that, that was dark red with gold trimmings and reached to about her shins. She was, however, barefoot, but this mattered little to her. Her excitement boiling over, she just had to know just what exactly she looked like now. She swiveled her head around and caught sight of a full length mirror. She quickly rose to her feet to dash over to it, though she fell to the floor just as quickly. It then occurred to her that her tail, which had acted as her source of balance when she was a squirrel, was now gone. This meant she would have to become used to walking upright without it. Oh, well. What was life without it's challenges?  
Using tables and anything else her hands landed on for support, she guided herself to the mirror. Her goal accomplished, she managed the will to stand and marveled at the reflection that greeted her. Her face was pushed inward as opposed to her prior muzzle, and she possessed red freckles all along her cheeks. Her eyes were the same shade of blue as they had been before, of which she was thankful. For a brief moment, she feared that she had lost her ears during her transformation since they weren't at their usual placed atop her head. She sighed with relief when she realized that they were on the sides of her head instead, hidden beneath her straight red locks.  
"Ha, ha. I suppose you like your new look, eh Lass?"  
Somewhat startled, she whirled around to see the bearded man in blue with a large smile on his face. She mimicked the look, and opened her new mouth to say something, though only unintelligible blabbering made its way out. Merlin chuckled at this good naturedly.  
"I told you from the beginning that you would have to learn about the ways of man, didn't I? If this seems like a problem, then I suppose I could change you back."  
The girl immediately shook her head. Go back to being an animal? She most certainly would not. Merlin chuckled again.  
"I thought as much."  
"MARVIN!"  
Merlin winced at the miss-pronunciation of his name. He made his way to the window and looked outside to see Sir Ector standing next to their cart in front of the moat. It was loaded down with their belongings, and Kay was sitting at the reins and ready to leave.  
"HAVE YOU FINISHED PACKING, YOU BLASTED OLD GOAT?" Sir Ector boomed up at him.  
"NOT YET!" Merlin exclaimed in reply. "JUST ONE MOMENT. AND MY NAME IS MERLIN!"  
The elderly wizard pulled in his head and huffed.  
"Pompous windbag! Is it really so difficult to remember a name?"  
The girl giggled lightly at the moment, but then a thought struck her. Squirrels never named their young, thus there was nothing for her to be called. She tugged on Merlin's robe to gain Merlin's attention.  
"Yes, lass." he said, looking to her. The girl thought hard; since she couldn't talk, she couldn't really tell him what she was thinking. She scanned the room and observed every article for a means to convey her thought. At last, her gaze landed on a book. Somewhat shakily, she trudged over to it, picked it up, and showed the title to Merlin while pointing to herself. It took a moment, but Merlin finally caught on.  
"Ah, you're quite right, lass!" he exclaimed, tapping his palm to his forehead. "It just wouldn't do for I and others just to refer to you as 'girl', now would it?'  
He scratched his beard as he considered the matter profusely. He walked over to his book table, and he skimmed through the thick volumes. Nothing really spoke to him as a proper name for the young girl. His leg bumped against the table, and he heard something fall to the floor. He looked over to examine it, and he could see that it had been a bowl of hazel nuts he had left before his unplanned journey to Bermuda that last winter.  
"Hazel." he mused to himself, thinking it over and over in his head. "By George, that's it!" He turned back to the girl. "I say, lass, how about it? Would you like to be called Hazel from now on?"  
What was there to say? She had never had a need for a name in her previous state; hence any name was better than no name. She bobbed her head in agreement, much to the happiness of Merlin.  
"Excellent! Now, with that out of the way, I can pack my things and we can be on our merry way back to London!"  
He retrieved his travel bag and magic wand, and then moved to the center of the room.  
"Pay attention, Hazel." he began, turning back to the girl. "You'll like this."  
He tapped his wand against his bag a couple of times, and then began to sing. (Sing along with the italics.)

_"Higgitus figitu, zumba zazing!  
I want your attention, everything!_

Everything in the room immediately shifted at though turning to face Merlin, causing Hazel to jump back with a start.  
"We're packing to leave." Merlin explained to his junk. "Let us be off now. No dawdling. Single file lines, everyone."  
Suddenly, the small blue object that had attack Hazel when she was a squirrel darted from its hiding place and making a beeline for the bag. However, it came to a complete stop when Merlin held up a hand.  
"Surgarbowl, you should know this by now. Come along, books, let's go." The books began to levitate in the air and move towards the open bag, leaving Hazel absolutely stunned.

_"Hockety, pockety, wockety wack  
Abracabra dabra nack  
Shrink in size, very small  
We've got to save enough room for all  
Higitus figitus migitus fum_

Presti-digi-tonium!

As the floating books came close to the bag, they began to shrink in size and fill the bottom of the bag. Little by little, more of the assorted items in the room began to float their way towards the bag, including the little sugarbowl. It had fallen behind from the other kitchen items, and it was trying to take its place in front of the teapot. As the dishes behind them began to bunch up, the teapot accidently knocked into the sugarbowl and nearly knocking off its cap as Merlin continued to sing.

_"Alica fez  
Balica zez  
Malaca mez meripides  
Hockety pocket wockety…"_

CRASH!  
Merlin was cut short, and he looked over to see that the teapot was now missing its spout. He tossed a scorching glare at the sugarbowl, which was shaking visibly with its spoon behind its back. Merlin pointed towards the travel bag, then bark, "Get in there!" The sugarbowl needed no further persuasion, and was gone like a shot. Merlin then proceeded to gather up the broken spout and placed it in his robe pocket.  
"Don't worry, little teapot, I'll stitch it back on when we get back to London."  
He moved back to his spot next to the bag. He took a moment to remember his spot in the spell, and at last it came.

_"Hockety pockety wockety wack  
Odds and ends and nic a braks."_

Everything was starting to get crazy now. Everywhere the eye could see, strange objects and items went soaring through the air and was bunching themselves around the wizard. Next to flow into the seemingly bottomless bag were the items hanging from the ceiling. Hazel could hear agitated hooting, and looked up just in time to see Archimedes narrowly escape his rapidly shrinking birdhouse as it fit into the bag.  
"When will you learn to wait till after I get out, you bungling blockhead?" he scolded from his place in the air.  
"When you learn not to get in your bird house while I'm packing-oop!" A chair bumped into Merlin, reminding him that his work wasn't complete.  
"Pay attention, lass!" he called to Hazel. "Here comes the fun part!"

_Higitus figitus migitus fum_

Presti-digi-tonium!

Higitus figitus migitus fum

Presti-digi-toni-um!

With that final proclamation, the bag sealed itself and all grew quiet. Hazel could only look on in amazement; completely awestruck at how the once filled to the roof room was now stark empty save for themselves and Merlin's marvelous bag. Merlin noted her looks of wonder, and chuckled heartily.  
"Impressive, eh lass? Best way to pack, especially when you have so much to carry on your travels."  
He made his way to stairwell and motioned to Hazel for her to follow; she obeyed. As they made their way out of the castle, the newly made human girl couldn't help but giggle. When she was a squirrel, the thick pads on her paws were too warm and rough to sense how cool and smooth the stone floors felt. The soles of her feet were a different matter altogether; they were much more sensitive and could feel every crease in the stones. Once outside, she also found that she felt the weather differently. When she was a squirrel, she possessed a large amount of fur on her body, thus she had found it very warm that day. Having no hair aside for what was on her head, she found she enjoyed the crisp spring day much more, and the breathe felt wonderful against her skin. It was absolutely glorious, and this was only her first day.  
She then realized that Merlin had moved ahead towards Sir Ector's cart. She sprinted over to catch up, halting just behind Merlin. The older man was speaking with Sir Ector.  
"Sure took your time, you old goat." the stout man growled. He had just had a romp across the courtyard due to Kay neglecting to tie up the dogs; the whole exercise had left the older man with a sour mood and a body caked in fresh mud.  
"I hope you'll forgive me." Merlin replied, trying hard not to laugh at Sir Ector's plight. "But you may be interested in my find. Wait till you see…Hold on! Now where did she go?"  
He moved to one side, and Hazel found herself directly in Ector's line of sight. Feeling sheepish, the girl mustered up a faint smile. Sir Ector stared at the girl, somewhat unsure what to say. At last, he spoke. "Well, that is an interesting find." He knelt down to the girl's eye level. "Now where might you have come from, young lady?"  
Once again Hazel opened her mouth to speak, only to realize that she couldn't. She turned to Merlin for support, and the kindly wizard said, "I'm afraid she isn't capable of speech. I have surmised that she isn't a mute but merely uneducated. Thus, I have brought it upon myself to take her with us so that I may educate her along with Arthur. As a bonus, I think it would be very productive for Arthur to have a classmate of the same age."  
"Hmmm, quite right." Sir Ector agreed with a nod. "You've got a point, Marvin. Arthur never did have anyone his age to relate to growing up here in the forest. On top of that, I remember hearing the cook say that we needed a new scullery maid. She just might do."  
"Quite so, but one last thing."  
"What's that?"  
The old man moved closer to the knight, stuck his nose right in his face, and screeched, "MY NAME IS MERLIN!"  
Sir Ector had to take a couple of steps back and shake his head to stop the ringing in his ears.  
"Sakes alive, man. I'm not as young as I used to be, but that doesn't you have to yell. You should have said something in the first place."  
Merlin opened his mouth to say more, but was cut off when Kay called from the cart. "Everything is loaded up, dad. Let's go already."  
Sir Ector hollered that he was coming, and he looked to his fellow travelers. "Best load up. We're off to London!"  
As they made their way to the cart, Hazel began to shiver. Everything was happening in a blur. She had not only been changed into a human, but now she was going to meet with that boy again. Sure her strange urges were gone, but she was still anxious. What he think of her? Would they get along? Would she be able to follow Merlin's rules correctly so as to keep her humanity? She then felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Merlin smiling down on her.  
"No need to worry, lass. All will be well. Just take one step in front of the other."  
She smiled back and nodded. In no time, they were bouncing down the old dirt road, merrily on their way to a new adventure. However, unobserved to the travelers, a certain scraggly wolf was loping hard, but stealthily, behind him. He wasn't sure how she changed shape, but he recognized the squirrel's scent. That miserable creature had caused him no end of grief at their every encounter, and, one way or another, he was going to get her.


End file.
